The Miniaturist

The Miniaturist Jessie Burton 3.5 / 5	Published 2014 First Sentence "The funeral is supposed to be a quiet affair, for the deceased had no friends."
Publisher's Description: On a brisk autumn day in 1686, eighteen-year-old Nella Oortman arrives in Amsterdam to begin a new life as the wife of illustrious merchant trader Johannes Brandt. But her new home, while splendorous, is not welcoming. Johannes is kind yet distant, always locked in his study or at his warehouse office–leaving Nella alone with his sister, the sharp-tongued and forbidding Marin. But Nella's life changes when Johannes presents her with an extraordinary wedding gift: a cabinet-sized replica of their home. To furnish her gift, Nella engages the services of a miniaturist–an elusive and enigmatic artist whose tiny creations mirror their real-life counterparts in eerie and unexpected ways... Johannes's gift helps Nella pierce the closed world of the Brandt household. But as she uncovers its unusual secrets, she begins to understand–and fear–the escalating dangers that await them all. In this repressively pious society where gold is worshipped second only to God, to be different is a threat to the moral fabric of society, and not even a man as rich as Johannes is safe. Only one person seems to see the fate that awaits them. Is the miniaturist the key to their salvation...or the architect of their destruction? Enchanting, beautifully written, and exquisitely suspenseful, The Miniaturist is a magnificent story of love and obsession, betrayal and retribution, appearance and truth.
Dear Reader, Have you ever read a book where you spent the entirety waiting for the story to begin? Only to realize you've gotten through the whole thing and wait, that WAS the story? That is how I felt about this book, although I can't put my finger on exactly why. I did really like it, too - I just felt like there was more coming, perhaps in just the next chapter, even when there never was. I did love the really interesting historical look at homosexuality in 17th century Amsterdam. I did love learning about the Burgermasters (which actually came up in another book I am reading right now, too! fancy that). And I did so love the idea of all of the miniature-scale items which are described in the book - I am a sucker for anything reproduced on a small scale! However, I am uncertain as to why it was called "The Miniaturist" in the first place, as the actual miniaturist & her work seemed entirely peripheral to the story - incidental, almost. They played no real role in the story, as far as I could tell. Perhaps that was because I lean toward discounting the vaguely magical elements of the book, but even were they taken into account, I don't understand quite how the miniaturist has any sort of effect on the story. Except perhaps in showing the women that they are to create their own destinies. Which, considering all that happens to them, I figured would be pretty darn obvious. I did like the feminist undertones of this book, though - ultimately it ended up being women (well, a band of misfits, including one male) taking care of themselves, in 1686. Not the easiest time for women to do that, but they were able to find their own ways of getting by. I appreciated that the author didn't spend a lot of time expounding on the strength of the females, but rather simply showed their actions by way of explaining their unique-at-the-time characters and reactions. One thing, though, which I find telling: I cannot for the life of me recall quite how this book ended! Granted, I did finish it a couple of weeks ago, and am writing my review late, but - I feel as if that indicates a kind of weak ending if I am not certain I can recall how things were tied up at the end. Argh! I'd recommend this book for the strong feel of experiencing 17th century Amsterdam, and for the stances it takes on sexual orientation and feminism (not to mention the story that is woven to make these not feel so much like political statements as much as simply stories about people - which I think is always so important). Read, and be transported. Yours, Arianna

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(NB: Paperback will be available June 20, 2015.)

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Fun Home

Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic Alison Bechdel 4.5 / 5	Published 2006 First Sentence "Like many fathers, mine could occasionally be prevailed upon for a spot of 'airplane.'"
Publisher's Description: In this groundbreaking, bestselling graphic memoir, Alison Bechdel charts her fraught relationship with her late father. In her hands, personal history becomes a work of amazing subtlety and power, written with controlled force and enlivened with humor, rich literary allusion, and heartbreaking detail. Distant and exacting, Bruce Bechdel was an English teacher and director of the town funeral home, which Alison and her family referred to as the "Fun Home." It was not until college that Alison, who had recently come out as a lesbian, discovered that her father was also gay. A few weeks after this revelation, he was dead, leaving a legacy of mystery for his daughter to resolve.
Dear Reader, I read this book quickly, partly because it's a graphic novel (can one call a nonfiction work that?) and partly because Alison Bechdel would be speaking at the college where I work within a week. This book was selected as the Freshman Read for this year, which means all entering students are required to read the same book, with certain activities (including a visit from the author) planned around this common book. When I was a freshman here (I work at the college I attended), the book was James Baldwin's amazing biography, The Color of Water. Troy and I arrived early at Bechdel's talk, luckily - the big room filled up FAST, and it was far beyond SRO by the time the author took the stage - people were sitting on ledges, the floor, and tables (I was surprised to see the grand piano unadorned with bodies!). We had scored some nice seats on a couch in back, but the downside was that we were unable to see the author or the bottom third of her slides. While I know many in the audience were there because the entire freshman class was required to read the book (which I thought was an awesome choice), I know there were many like us in the crowd, who simply wanted to hear what Bechdel had to say. And she turned out to be a great speaker - I came to appreciate the book even MORE after having heard her talk. I'd encourage anyone to seek her out if she's in your area! The story of her beginnings as a lesbian comics artist - well before the advent and subsequent uber-popularity of webcomics - is as fascinating as her life story. Which is what the book is about - or, at least, one aspect of her life story. (Bechdel will be coming out with a book that focuses more on her mother in the near future.) This one centered on the influence that her young father and his foibles had on her formative years. He was an exacting man, expected a lot from his children, and could be very strict. He didn't even really seem to enjoy having children until they were old enough to discuss books with. His family worked with him at the "fun home," which is what they called the family undertaking business! He's never moved from the small town in Appalachia where he had grown up - and, in fact, spent the entirety of his life living (and dying) within a radius of a few square miles. Needless to say, Bechdel's story was strongly influenced by all of these factors, and when she finally found a true common ground with her father, she was unable to connect with him because of his strict self-discipline (I'll let you read more about that, as it is the essence of her book). I loved Bechdel's art - she got expressions and stances and feelings just right, not to mention all of the little touches in each drawing - and the way she laid out the story. Each chapter begins with her interpretation of a real family photograph, and then she spins each section off from that focal point. I also LOVED how much the book revolved around literature, which was an appropriate medium for telling the story of her father's life, as he was an avid (and very particular) reader. Her allusions to Proust made me particularly happy, especially the way she used his books to frame her story. I could keep talking about this book for a long time, but I want to stop talking and let you discover the book for yourself. It was a wonderful and very appropriate choice for "required reading," and I hope that everyone encounters this book - it's a quick read! - sometime in their lives. Yours, Arianna P.S. I think one of the things that really endeared me to this book was the author's half-funny, half-morbid use of Sunbeam bread in the background of many of her panels...you'll have to read the book to understand why I describe it that way!

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The Picture of Dorian Gray (Review by AmberBug)

The Picture of Dorian Gray Oscar Wilde 4.5/5	Published 1890 First Sentence "The artist is the creator of beautiful things."
Publisher's Description: Oscar Wilde's story of a fashionable young man who sells his soul for eternal youth and beauty is one of his most popular works. Written in Wilde's characteristically dazzling manner, full of stinging epigrams and shrewd observations, the tale of Dorian Gray's moral disintegration caused something of a scandal when it first appeared in 1890. Wilde was attacked for his decadence and corrupting influence, and a few years later the book and the aesthetic dilemma it presented became issues in the trials occasioned by Wilde's homosexual liaisons. Of the book's value as autobiography, Wilde noted in a letter, "Basil Hallward is what I think I am: Lord Henry what the world thinks me: Dorian what I would like to be--in other ages, perhaps.
Dear Reader, This is THAT book. The book that you know exists, you know you should read, you can even confidently say you know you'll enjoy it... but haven't read it yet. I'm in my mid 30's and I just read THIS book, the book that I know is the perfect classic for me. It has the creep factor, the large and thoughtful ideas, the punch in the stomach, and the shock value! ALL of this is included in your very own copy of "The Picture of Dorian Gray" and yet, I had not read it yet. No longer! I can now say that I've read THIS classic that has all those traits I love. This wasn't my favorite "classic" book, but it surprisingly didn't disappoint. My expectations were completely met with this book. I wasn't overly impressed but on the same token, wasn't disappointed. So if you're anything like me, you know the basics behind the story but I'll fill you in anyways. There's this guy named Dorian Gray, a wealthy young gentleman who associates with the aristocrats and artists of his time. He befriends a particular artist that develops a slight obsession with Dorian while painting his portrait. After the portrait is painted, Dorian wishes that the painting could hold all of his sins and his age. Why? Well, because of his corrupt and incorrigible "friend" Lord Henry. This man is despicable and corrupts Mr. Gray slowly and surely throughout the story. His first known "corruption" deals with convincing and lecturing Dorian on age and pointing out that this painting of him will forever be younger than Mr. Gray himself. So, from the beginning, we see Dorian as a nice enough guy, one who thinks well of others and has good intentions BUT he starts getting a little self involved (especially on his looks). So Dorian looks upon this newly painted portrait of himself and begins to hate what it represents... AGING! He wishes the painting could hold his sins and age and all of a sudden "poof", (we find out a little later on) this is EXACTLY what has happened. Boy, oh boy... could you imagine a gift more important than that? You get to live forever AND not suffer from your sins? That can't backfire can it? Hahahahaha. Poor Dorian Gray, we see his slow descent into corruption, becoming an overall terrible human being. He becomes even worse than Lord Henry, which I would have never guessed that could happen. Without giving the ending away, I must say... this story has a lot going for it, SO many "morals". To delve a little deeper below the surface, we start to realize that Lord Henry gives us TONS of fuel to fire our inner rage. How can you not be upset when he acts as if women have no worth, the only person that matters is yourself and you shouldn't care about anything else. Ugh, so frustrating to read his lengthy horrible spouts of monologues. I think Arianna said it nicely, in her review of this book. She had a hard time liking it because the characters had such horrible qualities, and I completely agree with Arianna on this one. It was hard to finish the book because I hardly cared for Dorian by the end. I still feel strongly about the depth of ideas the Author was trying to convey, so deep that I have a hard time describing what that IS. I keep coming back to the conscience and relating it to the "Pinocchio" story. Just like Pinocchio, Dorian has a friend that leads him astray (Honest John the Fox was the character who led Pinocchio astray). Pinocchio ends up being coaxed to Pleasure Island and we find out "IT'S A TRAP". This is similar to what Lord Henry does to Dorian with all his talk on egotistical philosophy, which ultimately leads Dorian to his own Pleasure Island (that magical place where you can be completely selfish and disregard the emotions of others). You want to scream at the book and at Dorian, telling him to STOP listening to Lord Henry and START listening to his conscience. At one point, the star-struck Artist comes to speak with Dorian and tries to warn him of this dark path he is going down (like Jiminy Cricket?), but at this point Dorian is too far gone and finds his help insulting. I won't go into what happens from that point on, this is something that you have to find out on your own. I can't say I really enjoyed reading the book per se, but I do think Oscar Wilde made a very large statement with it. I think this is an important read, it delves into subjects that very few books bring up (or none that speak too deeply on the subjects), I would most certainly recommend it as a classic and one not to miss. Happy Reading, AmberBug

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In One Person

In One Person John Irving 4/5	Published 2012 First Sentence "I'm going to begin by telling you about Miss Frost."
Publisher's Description: "His most daringly political, sexually transgressive, and moving novel in well over a decade" (Vanity Fair).   Winner of a 2013 Lambda Literary Award   A New York Times bestselling novel of desire, secrecy, and sexual identity, In One Person is a story of unfulfilled love—tormented, funny, and affecting—and an impassioned embrace of our sexual differences. Billy, the bisexual narrator and main character of In One Person, tells the tragicomic story (lasting more than half a century) of his life as a "sexual suspect," a phrase first used by John Irving in 1978 in his landmark novel of "terminal cases," The World According to Garp.
Dear Reader, John Irving has done it again! If you've read Irving before, you know what to expect and this didn't disappoint. Irving brings us a little closer to sexuality with this one, it's a little more "in your face" without hiding it within. He tells the story from the perspective of Billy, a bisexual growing up in Vermont during that time when sexuality was being questioned more than ever. Billy attends an all male school with a step father who teaches the drama class there. His Grandfather is a somewhat closeted cross-dresser (mostly cross-dressing in the Shakespeare plays the school puts on). All around him he has signs that his family is inclined to be somewhat "different" and during this time he starts figuring out his own bisexuality. Apparently, Irving has openly admitted to having crushes on his male schoolmates and this is where the idea of the book came from. I've always wondered what Irving's sexuality was like since he focuses his books on many controversial sexual related topics. He doesn't state outright that he is bisexual, he does live with his wife in one of his three homes of Toronto, Vermont and Pointe au Baril. I love that he writes what he knows and uses his own experiences in his books. He has a creative mind but the realistic characters come out so vividly, they must be modeled from people he has known. Getting back to the story, we follow Billy to New York City during the AIDS epidemic and this section of the book was extremely upsetting and sad. During the 80's, AIDS became so prevalent that sometimes you didn't know someone was LGBT until they started dying from the disease (THIS is when they would or had to come out of the closet). I can't imagine what it would have been like to have all your close friends dropping off like flies from this virus. The main character, Billy, even emotes how awful he feels when people ask if he is sick and he has to reply that he isn't. To feel guilt from not catching the virus, that thought amazed me but when I put myself in his shoes... I started to realize that I would have felt the same way. I think the title of this book is a reflection on how people can have more than "one" person inside of us. How one person can be so many things, why must we narrow it down? Why can't we love people for people and not for what gender they are. Why must we classify ourselves as female or male? Isn't it true that we have characteristics of both, how many times have you heard someone say that they are "Metro" or a "Tom Boy"? This is only a step or two from dressing a different way or trying out a different style. I'm happy we've come this far but this book just made me want to scream at how far we have to go. If you take away anything from this book... take this... Love people or don't love people but don't hate those who love people. Enough said! Happy Reading, AmberBug

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Behind The Candelabra: My Life With Liberace

Behind The Candelabra: My Life With Liberace By Scott Thorson Rating 4 out of 5	Published 1988 First Sentence ""Too much of a good thing is wonderful," Liberace used to say when commenting on a flashy new costume or wild idea for his act."
Publisher's Description: In this unusually frank book Scott Thorson tells all: the good, the bad, and the ugly truths about a legendary entertainer who went to outrageous extremes to prevent public knowledge of his homosexuality. Liberace's unhappy childhood, dominated by a mother determined to force him into a concert career, serves as the prologue for a story that goes on to detail Liberace’s early appearances in honky-tonks, his move to New York to seek fame, and, finally, his first booking in Las Vegas, where he was courted by the Mafia. His successes create a bright counterpoint to a darker tale of a man hungry for power, given to every excess. Liberace's credo—"too much of a good thing is wonderful"—is reflected here in his acquisition of new lovers, luxurious homes, a large collection of pornography, and a total of twenty-six house dogs. Behind the Candelabra also reveals the details of the fundamentally tender love affair between Liberace and Thorson—whom Liberace sent to his own plastic surgeon to have his face remodeled in Liberace's own image! This fast-paced story, sprinkled with anecdotes about famous entertainers such as Michael Jackson and Shirley MacLaine, ends with an intimate look at Liberace's final days as he lay dying of AIDS—and his deathbed reconciliation with Scott.
Dear Reader, I won't ever look at Liberace the same way after listening to this story.  I didn't really have much of an opinion of Liberace since his life was before my time and he didn't create any music that influenced me. I had heard from my mother in disgusted, hushed tones that he was gay, but that wasn't a shocking or a disgusting thing for me to hear about a larger than life performer.  I would have appreciated him much more if he had owned his homosexuality but I know that wasn't a safe thing to do during his lifetime. If we are to believe all of what Scott Thorson says, and I do,  I don't like Liberace. I feel a lot of pity for Scott.  I should say I feel a lot of empathy for him since I have experienced my own, life destroying break up.  I think that is why my anger for Liberace was so personal and visceral.  I projected my own experience on the narrative of theirs. I particularly was angered by all the times that Liberace lies and promises to take care of people in his life; for the rest of their lives. Breaking one's word or even making that kind of promise without knowing or caring if it will be fulfilled is heinous. Despite their 5 year legal war, Scott ends up forgiving Liberace and making amends with him before he dies of AIDS.  I did take satisfaction that Scott was spared from AIDS because Liberace kicked him out before he contracted it. I was further saddened to hear from the book's afterword about Scott's life in the Witness Protection Program.  He was shot and battled drug addiction and finally in the most current related news he has become physically impaired by one the bullet wounds near his spine and also, rectal cancer. In his afterword he also comments that he is looking forward to seeing the movie version  of this story where he is played by Matt Damon. The story in this book is very interesting and emotionally engaging but the writing is glaringly simple. It is clear that Scott Thorson is not a writter.  He repeats some points enough for me to be irritated by it and he uses the word 'outrageous' far too many times. A thesaurus could have improved that. Also in the midst of his narrative he goes off on a tangent about homosexuality amongst celebrities that doesn't transition well. I understand that he has things to say that relate to the overall life and times of Liberace, but it stuck out to me as distracting. With some consultation and editing from a true writer,  it could have been incorporated better. Overall the content of the book moved me and I admire Scott's determination to paint an accurate picture of Lee the man, instead of the Faberge of Liberace. He did this in 1987 despite threats against him from Liberace's people at the time of publication. I recommend this book for people interested in behind the scenes reality check of celebrities in their own fame encrusted bubbles. It's also a time piece in the evolution of how far modern America has come to accept and respect the contributions of the homosexual community. It also shows that the life of expectancy of someone diagnosed with AIDs has increased from a year to several decades. Yours, Marsha